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Chapter One
Princess Eloise of Theron continued to smile as she rode in the backseat of one of her father’s favorite cars, a 1957 Chevy Convertible. King Albert had started collecting cars before she was even born, and though she liked the looks of some of them, cars were just not her passion.
Eloise raised her hand to wave yet again, wishing she could just read her book. Who could leave a book in the middle of chapter sixteen, and not finish it for hours? She could, whether she wanted to or not.
Thankful she didn’t have to worry about ruling her country, she spent all her available time with her nose stuck in books. Unfortunately, there were engagements most weekdays that she needed to attend, her small way of helping her father with his workload.
When the car finally pulled up to the palace gate, she was happy she would be able to let her face relax. Smiling for long periods of time was tiring. And her pale blue silk dress would go back in her closet, to be replaced by leggings and a long t-shirt. In just minutes, she would be able to finish chapter sixteen.
She spotted a car with the Allenia royal family’s insignia. She had no idea who was visiting, but it was usually Prince Bernard who was sent to Theron. He was a kind enough man, a few years older than she was, but she didn’t know if she could really trust anyone from Allenia. Knowing he was there, she decided to go straight to her suite so she could sit in her library and finish her book. There was no reason for her to have to continue acting like a princess and help entertain the man. No, her book was calling to her, and she’d fulfilled her duties for the day.
Hurrying into her room, she quickly changed into her favorite pair of leggings and an oversized t-shirt. She couldn’t think of any clothing she’d rather wear for reading.
She picked up the phone and requested lunch be delivered to the library, which sounded so much better than going to the dining room to eat. There, she’d have to dress for the meal, and here, she could wear whatever she wanted. She’d had several public engagements that week, and she was certain she’d scream if she had to force her feet into dress shoes anytime soon.
Well, anytime before Monday, which was in two days. Monday was the day she was going to an orphanage there in town to talk to the children and teachers and get a feel for what was needed.
Moving into the library with her book clutched in her hand, she sank into her favorite chair, putting her feet up. In one motion, she hit the button for her feet to rise as she opened her book to the page where her bookmark waited. Now, to see how the heroine was going to escape from the man who was holding her hostage and planned to force her to marry him.
Ah, this is the life. It was so much more fun to live in someone else’s life for a few hours than live to take care of her own duties.
As she turned another page, the characters leaped forth. Her laughter echoed through the hallowed space, a sound both light-hearted and laced with longing. This room was her realm, and within its borders, she reigned supreme. She was happy she didn’t rule the whole kingdom. She was happy to leave that task to her brother, James. No, this is where she belonged. In her library with a book in her hand.
"Perhaps today," she mused with a playful twinkle in her eye, "I shall discover a tale where the princess rescues the prince." Her own story was yet unwritten, but here Eloise felt the stirrings of her own happily ever after.
With a contented sigh, she sank deeper into her chair, letting the world of her books swallow her whole. The library protected her from reality, allowing her heart to wander freely through her imagination.
Eloise’s red hair cascaded in waves. She tucked a rebellious curl behind her ear, her green eyes moving swiftly over the words in the book.
With delicate precision, she turned another page. The crinkling sound sent a shiver of delight through her. There was just something about holding a book in her hands. It was so much better than reading an ebook. Not that she wouldn’t read electronic books if she was desperate. Why just last week she had been out without a book, and she’d taken to reading on her phone. It wasn’t the same for her though. No, she wanted real paper in her hands.
"I wish my own life’s story could be read first, so I could avoid the rookie mistakes young women make as they learn to love," Eloise thought. For she knew her own life story would include a love that moved mountains. She was destined for it.
Finally, the maid arrived with her lunch, a simple salad. Eloise preferred richer foods, but she only allowed herself to eat them at supper time. If she had to start exercising to keep her figure, it would cut into her reading time.
She held her salad in her lap, taking a bite and reading as she chewed. There was no reason to put down the book unless she was being observed, and at the moment, no one was there to bother her.
Eloise shifted in her seat, the leather creaking softly in assent, as she hugged the volume close to her chest.
"Tomorrow," she promised the silent room, "I shall pen a chapter of my own, one filled with laughter and perhaps a sprinkle of romance."
A small giggle escaped her lips, betraying the delight that blossomed within her chest. She read on, about lovers intertwined by destiny, their spirits buoyant with the promise of forever.
Eloise turned another page, her anticipation palpable. As the hero declared his undying love with a passion that set the heroine aglow, so too did Eloise feel an illuminating joy. A momentary sigh slipped from her lips, her heart beating faster.
"Perhaps one day, I shall find myself the protagonist rather than the audience," she pondered. And with that hopeful thought, she delved back into the world of courtly love and poetic vows, a contented smile gracing her lips as she surrendered once more to the beautiful words of her novel.
"True love is not a fable nor a mere whisper of fancy," she declared to the quiet listeners that lined her walls. "It is the very essence that binds these tales together, the thread that weaves through the fabric of every great story." Her words were fervent, a testament to her unyielding optimism.
As she read the last page, she hugged the book to her chest for a moment, knowing this book would cause a hangover that would last. Oh, the ending had been perfect, filled with vows of love and an epilogue complete with a baby. What more could she ask for?
She rose and put the book back onto the shelf she’d found it on. She needed to clear her mind for a bit before she started another, so she pulled on her shoes and grabbed a coat. Walking in the garden seemed like the perfect thing to cleanse her palate between books.
When she stepped into the garden, she sensed that she wasn’t alone, and for a moment she thought about going back inside, not wanting to risk losing the feeling the book had left her with.
It wasn’t until she sat on the bench in the back of the garden, lost in her thoughts, that she spotted the intruder in her paradise. Prince Bernard.
When he spotted her, he meandered in her direction, not waiting to be invited to sit beside her. “Princess Eloise,” Prince Bernard said in way of greeting.
